Union-coupling.



PATENTED FEB. 13, 1906.

H. S. CROMBIE.

UNION COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

UNION-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

Application filed October 6,1904. rial No. 227.479.

To all whom) it may-concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT S. OROMBIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woburn, in the county of Middlesex' and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Union-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The ordinary union-coupling is defective on account of its liability to leak by reason of the metal packing-ring becoming loose in its seat, said ring being only held in place by contact with the bottom and outer wall of the seat or chamber in which it is placed, and when the packing-ring thus becomes loosened the steam, gas, or liquid will escape by passing around it into the open air. To stop this leakage by tightening the coupling has not been found practicable owing to the impossibility of spreading the packing in its seat or chamber to close the space through which the leakage occurs. To overcome this difficulty and provide means whereby the packing-ring may be securely and tightly held in place within its seat in such manner that it cannot become loose, thereby preventing any possibility of leakage, is the object of my invention, which consists in providing the annular seat or chamber which re. ceives the backing-ring with an inverted-V- shaped rib or wedge-shaped projection extending around its bottom, the softer metal packing-ring resting on the sharp edge'of this projection, which is forced into the packingring and serves to spread the same laterally, so that it will tightly fit the seat or chamber in which it is placed, the entrance of the sharp edge of the rib into the packing-ring causing it to be tightly wedged between the outer side of said projection and the outer wall of the seat or chamber in which the packing is placed, the joint at this point being thus rendered absolutely and permanently steam and gas tight, any further tightening of the coupling tending to still further spread the packing and hold the same in place with additional security, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved union-coupling. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating the application of my invention to a modified form of coupling. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 5

is an enlarged sectional detail of the packing;

ringseator chamber, the packing-ring, and

parts adjacent thereto.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, A represents the male member of the coupling, which is provided with a convex. face 1, and B represents the female member within the opposing face of which is formed an annular chamber or seat 2, in which is placed the metallic packing-ring 3, preferably composed of bronze or brass, said ring having a concave face 4, against which bears the convex face 1 of the member A, said members A and B being interiorly threaded to receive the correspondingly-threaded ends of the pipes D E, which are connected by means of the coupling.

C is the coupling-nut, which is interiorly threaded, as usual, at 5, the female member being correspondingly threaded to en age the threaded portion of the nut, while t e male member'is provided with a shoulder 6, having an outer convex or beveled surface against which bears the correspondingly curved or concaved interior surface of the inwardlyprojecting flange 8 of the coupling-nut C,

, which thus holds the two members A' and B together in such manner as to permit of a movement of one upon the other in the arc of a circle without any liability of leakage in case the pipes which are connected by said coupling should be thrown or moved out of alinement by accident or design or if it should be found necessary to couple two pipes together which are not in a perfectlystraight At about the center of the bottom of the packing-ring chamber or seat 2 is formed a wedge-shaped rib or projection 10, which extends around said chamber'and upon which the softer metal packing-ring 3 is forced, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, the shar edge of the projection 10 entering the pac ing-ring. and spreading it laterally in opposite directions, the metal of the ring takin a bearin against the outer side of the we ge 10 an against the opposite outer wall 12 of the chamber 2, against which it is tightly forced by the wedging action of the projection 10, said ring also taking a bearing against the inner side of the wedge and the bottom of the chamber at its inner corner a, said several bearings or points of contact of the packingring with its seat forming a perfect steam and as tight joint, the packing-ring being thus held imniovably inplace byits friction against member B, whi

the wall 12 of the chamber 2 and the outer avoided, as it will be impossible forsteam, gas, or water to be forced beneath and around the packing-ring'under excessive high pressure. I

The bottom of the chamber 2.is preferably inclined downward and outward, as shown, thereby leaving a space 15, which affords an opportunity for the packing-ring to be-forced- Sti l farther down into its seatit it should become necessary to render the packing still tighter. 7

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 illustratemy invention as applied to acoupling in which the two meme bers are connected by means of external flanges 16 18, spaced apart, and. bolts 19, the flange l6 bein for-med integral. with !the %e the flange18 consists of an independent annulus or ring loosely-slipped over the outer endof the member A and takfl ing a bearin against its-shoulder.6-,-the1sur1 face of whic is convexand formsa-seatfor. the correspondingly concaveinnerperiPhery of the-ring-shaped flangelS: No pprtwn! of the packing-ring. 3 extends intolthe spacebetween the flanges which arespaeedl. apart when held by the-bolts 19, and consequently the-packing-ring doesnot in, any manner interfere withthe free movement in theare of a circle of onemember upon the other.v

What I 'claim as my-inventiomand desire to secXre'by Lettelrs Patent, i s- 1. i e-coup in com rising twio o osing men ib ers, one of which is providedP -ith anv annular packing seat or chamber formed in the end thereof adjacent to said-other member and openinginto-thainterion bore thereof, said chamber havingat the-bottom thereof an annular wedge-shaped rib, a metal tom thereof:- an annular wedge-shaped rib, a

'metal packing-ring-located insaid chamber,

itsrinner periphery forming a. portion of the interior-bore of said coupling, and meansfor 'cou ling said members together, whereby other member and openin into the interior borethereof, said. chamberaving at thebot.

sai packing-ring is forced intosaidchamber and a ainst said rib. v 3. pipe-couplin com rising two opposing; members, oneo whic ;is.provided with an annular seat or chamber formed-inthe end thereof adjacentto said othermember and opening into the interiorbore thereof-,1 said 0 amber having at theb'ottom-thereof an annular wedge-shaped rib, havingv a sharp cutting ed e, aasking-ring formed of softer metal t a an said rib,.located in said chamber,

its periphery forming a portion of'the interior bore of saidcoupling, and means for con ling said members together, whereby said packing ring is, forced into said chamber and saidrib is forcedinto-said packing-ring.

Witness my hand this 4th day-of October;

HERBERT S. CR'OMBIE. In presence .of

P. E. TESOHEMAOHER, J. E. .MALONEY. 

